


The Beauties and the Beasts

by Stardust1999



Category: Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, La Belle et la Bête | Beauty and the Beast (Fairy Tale)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Babies, Ballroom Dancing, Cats, Character Death, Christmas Fluff, Dark, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence, and it isnt explicit, basically a gay version of beauty and the beast, btw the rape scene is not between rose and alara, but its my baby and i love it, i kinda got carried away, no magic, no talking furniture either sorry, part of the idea is that who is the beauty and who is the beast is kinda up to the reader, this is also based off of the original story with only small disney elements sorryyy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-24 03:31:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13204953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stardust1999/pseuds/Stardust1999
Summary: Alara has grown up in the same little village her whole life, never knowing who lived in the mysterious castle that towered over them all. That was until her father made a deal that cemented her fate forever.Or,A f/f version of Beauty and the Beast





	1. Prologue

Prologue:

The castle that loomed over the village had never been entered by any of the people that resided in said village for many years. But the rumours that were spread about the occupants fuelled gossip for months.   
And of course most of what was said about those that lived in the castle was pure nonsense since no one ever seemed to come out but that didn’t stop them from being figures of fascination to the people of the village.   
Alara had lived in the village her whole life and yet she had never laid eyes on anyone who lived in the castle except for 14 years ago, when there had been a funeral. 

When Alara was 6 there was a sickness that plagued the village and clearly it reached into the castle as both the lord and lady of the castle fell ill and died, leaving their 8 year old daughter as their sole heir to their fortune, much to the dismay of the villagers. 

“Daddy, who was that girl?” young Alara asked her father as they walked back home from the church, her little hand clutched in his.

“She’s a freak darling, she is unnatural.”  
His response baffled the little girl who had thought she had looked quite normal but she accepted her father’s explanation without question.

“Ok Daddy,” she skipped on ahead, happily heading home and forgetting the other little girl.

You see, they were all quite small minded people and the idea of a girl running such a large estate, in fact the idea of a girl with any kind of power and influence, shocked them to their very core.   
Alara can still remember the sneers the girl received as she stood at the top of the steps behind the two coffins that were brought down from the castle to be buried in the graveyard beside the church.   
She was a tall girl, with her small hands clasped behind her back and her spine ramrod straight, shoulders tense and jaw locked in a firm set. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a harsh ponytail and she was dressed in all black, the hem of her dress only just coming below her knees. 

Men also dressed in black stood slightly behind her, darkened glasses on their faces even though it was winter and walkie talkies attached to their hips.   
Once the coffins had left the eyeline of the occupants on the steps the girl turned around and went back inside the huge building behind her, swiftly followed by the men.  
That was the last time anyone had seen the young girl although they knew she must still be there since no one else had come to claim the castle or the fortune the girl's family had left behind.

Since then the rumours about the girl, or now woman, behind those towering walls, have only grown in number and ridiculousness ranging from gossip that she never showed her face because she was deformed, to suspicions that she was a vampire.   
The castle had fallen into disrepair over the years as the woman who occupied it let vines grow up the walls and the gardens surrounding it turn into wild fields and woodlands.   
Instead of a stately castle it now looked like something out of a fairytale, only furthering the rumours that plagued the woman and her whereabouts. 

Once again little Alara asked her father about the other girl that lived in the castle, insisting that she must be a princess if she lived in a castle, not a monster like the other villagers had told her.  
His response was much unchanged, still insisting to his little girl that the mysterious occupant of the castle was a beast.  
Alara didn’t really understand but she listen to the man that she thought would never lie to her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Alara had never lived anywhere else much to her dismay but because of this she was very talented at finding hiding places when necessary.   
And when it came to avoiding Chad Gast there was nowhere Alara wouldn’t go to get away from him, she’d been known to take to rooftops just in an effort to not run into him. 

Of course the man in question had yet to get the picture that she just wasn’t interested in him, or any man for that matter.   
But his persistence knew no bounds and with her father constantly asking her when she was going to ‘settle down’ and ‘find a nice husband’ Chad seemed to think that he had her father’s permission to be pursue her even when she told him she wanted nothing to do with him.   
They had grown up together and had basically always been in the same circuit of friends even though Alara more often than not backed out of plans now that she did not have to see them all every day at school.   
In fact it was Alara’s goal to get as far away as possible from this small town that only seemed to hold her troubles and fears.

It seemed no matter how hard she tried to act like she was just as ‘normal’ as everyone else, everyone in the village seemed determined to never let her forget how much of an outcast they really found her.   
It didn’t seem to matter that Chad and her father were in denial and still thought she would marry Chad and have children with him, the rest of the villagers saw that she would never be the woman her father wanted.   
And she would never in a million years marry Chad, even if her father had basically given Alara to him on a silver platter, it is the 21st Century and Alara refused to be sold over to a man like she was some sort of property. 

Even though she had tried to tell her father so many times that it wasn’t just a phase, it wasn’t her teenage rebellion holding on for a few more years and for the last time it wasn’t her choice!   
It is just the way she is inside and it didn’t matter how many men he threw at her or how many sit-down chats they had about how she was ruining her own life, she wasn’t going to ignore who she was just because he told her to.   
She’d spent so much time in her childhood terrified that he would hate her for how she felt but now she saw that if he couldn’t see her as the same person he had taught how to read and plant flowers in the garden, then there was really nothing she could do about it.

After she’d finished school along with all her classmates, she’d tried to go away to the university at the nearest city but her father just didn’t have the money to support her while she was there so that dream had to be put into a box until Alara could take herself to university.   
It had been two years now since she had put her plans on hold and she had spent that time working in the local bookshop however there seemed to be a distinct lack of readers in this town and it made Alara wonder how this bookshop was still here after all these years. 

In quiet moments, which to be honest was almost all day, Corwin would let her sit between the shelves and read to herself out of all the books in the shop on the condition that she wouldn’t damage them in anyway.   
As if she had it in her to damage the only way she could escape this cramped little town that was slowly suffocating her with its hatred and distrust. 

Corwin was probably her only real friend in this town, never looking at her differently because of her reading habits or because she prefered to gush about girls to him rather than about boys.   
He would also cover for her whenever Chad came in to see her, always telling him she was busy stacking in the back or on her break when in reality she was hiding behind the desk, waiting for Chad to give up and go home. 

“Which world are in you now?” Corwin’s soft voice cut through her musings, reminding her that really she should be stacking these books, rather than staring aimlessly at their covers.

“Still stuck in this one unfortunately” She smiled up at him, feeling dwarfed as he towered over her and passing over the couple of books still clutched in her arms.

“But I’ll be diving back into a new mysterious world tomorrow don’t you worry,” she punched his shoulder playfully, giggling cheekily as he tried to get her back. 

“I’ve got to head home so I can start on dinner before my father gets in but I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early!” He grinned at her antics as she hung up her apron on the side and grabbed her bag from under the desk.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Alara, have a nice evening!”

Pushing the door open after turning the ‘Open’ sign to read ‘Closed’ she waved at him, smiling forlornly as she thought of her evening plans.   
There was going to be nothing nice about her evening since her father had seen it fit to invite Chad and his parents round which was why she was leaving before she could help with the cleaning up.   
Cleaning up with Corwin sounded much more appealing instead of an awkward dinner with her father and the Gast’s as she tried to avoid their pointed questions about marriage and children.   
Turning on her phone she sighed as she looked at all the missed calls she had from both her father and Chad, choosing to ignore the voicemails in favour of shoving her headphones in her ears and trying to relax with some music before she was beyond tested this evening.   
Her only comfort came from the knowledge that her father wouldn’t be home when she got there which gave her some time to herself before her challenging evening really began. 

Stepping into her dark and quiet house she turned on the lights in the kitchen and placed her bag on the table.   
Predictably she heard the muffled sound of pawprints making their way down the stairs and she crouched down on the floor to receive the furry bundle that launched itself at her as soon as it made it down the stairs. 

“Grimm!” Alara giggled as the kitten pawed his way into her arms, alternating between meowing and licking her face eagerly.

“Let's get you some food shall we” the kitten bounded after her once she had put him down, tripping over his own feet more than once as he tried to keep up. 

“One of us should have a good evening” Alara sighed as Grimm attacked his food with vigor. 

She had better get started on dinner before her father made it home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter's coming tomorrow! Hope you liked this one x


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Alara didn’t think she could sink any further down in her chair but she was willing to give it a try if it would only help her get away from the worst evening of her life. It didn’t even seem to matter what she thought anymore, her father and Chad’s parents were straight up planning their wedding.

“I think we should go for pink invites, I know it’s not very seasonal but a pink theme would look so lovely in the church.”

“Yes dear, and the bridesmaids can wear pink too, our girls would look lovely in pink as well.”

“Would you mind a pink tie Chad dear, it would go so well with your skin tone.”

“Whatever you would like mother, I’ll be receiving the greatest gift anyway, I don’t care about colour schemes.” The smirk on Chad’s face made Alara feel dirty.

“Oh Chad that’s so sweet of you, isn’t that sweet Alara?”  
Alara had to get out of there and quickly.

Excusing herself swiftly, she threw her napkin down on the table and pushed out her chair before stumbling out of the room, bolting for the back door as fast as she could so that Chad couldn’t catch her when he inevitably came after her. 

Trying to catch her breath she pressed her back against the back wall of the house, just out of sight of the open back door, desperately hoping Chad wouldn’t be bothered enough to actually leave the house if he couldn’t see her.   
She heard the door squeak slightly as he pushed it out a little more.

“Alara?” His voice rang out into the evening air.

“Alara!” He sounded angrier this time which only made her press further back into the house, desperate to stay out of sight.

“Alara you will marry me, and you will be happy about it!” She thought he was about to step outside but he stayed where he was, content to just shout to her.  
There was no one for miles nearby so no one else would hear then, except for maybe their parents but he didn’t seem to care.

“Alara,” he started again, his tone this time sounding very menacing, “you will marry me, because if you do not I will hurt someone that you love, someone that you love very much.”  
Horror coursed through her veins, her heart hammering in her chest.

His voice was quieter this time.  
“Your father has been looking quite frail recently, little smaller than usual. It would be terrible if he had some sort of accident, or even worse, if he died.”  
Alara had to hold a hand over her mouth to hold back her gasp at Chad’s vile words.

There was a quiet moment where neither of them moved. She held her breath. He closed the door. She released the breath she had been holding. 

Slumping back against the wall she looked out onto the field that their house backed out on to. The wildflowers were fully in bloom and the trees were swaying in the slight breeze that swept through the field.   
The sun was barely setting, the sky turning beautiful shades of pink and orange as the day came to an end.   
Alara wandered through the tall grass, brushing her fingers against the taller flowers that reached up to tickle her upper thigh. 

Picking up the pace she jogged towards the lake the waited at the end of the field, wanting to get as far away from the house as she possibly could. The lake itself seemed to be set alight by the setting sun, the mountains behind creating an impressive backdrop.   
Alara thought about Chad’s threat.

He couldn’t possibly mean it...could he?

Chad was capable of many things, even forcing a woman to marry him but murder?   
Alara didn’t think he had it in him, he was only a playground bully, but the fear that he might actually hurt her father was enough to make her pull up short.

Alara could see her reflection in the lake, distorted slightly by the small waves the breeze created, ripples spreading far out.   
Relief swelled up inside her, making her heart feel so full she thought it might burst and a grin started to form on her face, transforming the previously somber expression into one of joy. 

She put her worries into a box in the back of her head, deciding to think about it all when she went back inside to go to bed.  
She knew that eventually someone would come looking for her or she would have to go back once it got too cold outside but for now she revelled in the fact that she had escaped the madness and could have a moment to herself.

Eventually the sun had sunk completely behind the mountains and a chill had set in across the field, the dark starting to creep in around the edges.   
Alara got up from where she had sat at the edge of the lake, her feet freezing cold and wet from dangling them in but her head feeling so much clearer now that the insanity that was her life had subsided for a time. 

Reluctantly she brushed herself off and pulled her shoes back on before starting the trek back across the field.   
Even though she knew her father was going to be furious with her for running off and not coming back, she was thankful that the Gast’s would now be long gone. 

As she reached the back door, smiling slightly to herself as she took off her now damp shoes and slipped on her slippers she was horrified to walk into the cramped living room and see the Gast’s still perched on their aged sofa, cups of tea held in their hands and displeased expressions on their pinched faces.   
Chad was stood next to the steadily burning fireplace, his hands gripping the mantle as he stared into the embers and her father was glaring at her from his arm chair next to the lamp.   
Realistically Alara knew that there was no getting out of this but the small hopeful part of her thought that maybe just maybe if she could make it to the stairs…

“Ah Alara, there you are!” Chad was grinning at her from next to the fireplace, one hand still resting on the mantle and the other stretched out as if asking her to take it.   
One stern look from her father behind Chad made Alara grudgingly hold out her hand for him to take which he eagerly did, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her just a little too hard for it to be comfortable.   
Chad’s earlier words echoed around her head and shot her father another look, worry gnawing at her heart.

“Sweetheart we were so worried,” Chad, still holding her in his arms, turned to his parents, “I think she was a little overwhelmed with happiness at all of our wedding preparations.”   
He smiled condescendingly down at Alara who was not-so-subtly trying to squirm her way out of his hold. 

“Isn’t that right darling?” Chad gripped one of her hands very tightly in his, so tightly that she could feel her hand start to go numb and the bones crack slightly in protest at the treatment. 

“Of course Chad dear, just so so happy.” Gritting the words out through clenched teeth and wrenching her hand out of his grip as she tried to smile with a locked jaw at Chad’s parents.   
Alara didn’t want to push him too much, having witnessed many a beating that Chad had laid on anyone stupid enough to challenge him and she didn’t want to provoke him.  
She hoped the sarcasm was clear in her tone but by the satisfied expression on their faces she obviously had failed. 

At just that moment little Grimm decided to make himself known as he padded into the room, meowing quietly up at Alara as she reached down to pick him up.   
But she was beaten to it as Chad swooped down and grabbed her little kitten around his middle, keeping a firm grip on him as the kitten scrambled desperately as he tried to break himself free, clawing and biting at Chad’s fingers. 

“What a vicious little creature,” Chad mused, holding Grimm up to his face as if inspecting the kitten, the ‘creature’ in question trying to take swipes at his captors nose. 

“Yes Alara found him whining outside our door about two months ago and of course she brought the mangy thing in,” her father spoke up for the first time since she had walked in, sighing as if in defeat as he looked at the kitten in Chad’s hands.

“He would’ve died father, if I hadn’t have taken him in” Alara glared at her father as she tried to take Grimm back from Chad, mindful that the kitten really didn’t like strangers. 

“It would be awful if something happened to him after you put so much effort into taking him in” the kitten started mewling loudly as Chad looked at Alara, a cruel glint in his eyes and Alara watched in horror as his hand tightened around the kitten’s middle. 

“It’s a good thing he’s got such a loving owner who would do anything to keep him safe, isn’t it dear” Chad gave Alara a meaningful glance and she smiled tightly “You know me darling, always ready to open my heart to love,” he grinned at her menacingly as he handed her Grimm roughly. 

“Of course Alara sweetheart, that will make us having children all the better for you.” 

Alara’s stomach twisted itself into knots as Chad’s parents and her father started talking about grandchildren and what their names would be and Chad smirked at her from across the room.   
Grimm was clutched tightly in her arms, although not at tight as Chad had held him, and he nuzzled his soft little nose against her chin and meowed softly as if to let her know he was here for her even when no one else was.   
She petted him gently as she thought about the life that Chad’s family was setting out for her as if she wasn’t even in the room, the life that she knew she really had no choice in as long as there were people in her life that she cared about that Chad could hurt to make her comply to his wishes.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Once the Gasts were satisfied that Alara was complying to the plans they were making they decided to head home for the evening, Mrs Gast promising that she would be back the next day to take her wedding dress shopping at the only wedding boutique in town.   
That meant that by tomorrow afternoon everyone would know that she would be marrying Chad, Alara sighed to herself in resignation at the way her life was panning out against her will. 

Setting Grimm down on the floor for the first time since the Gast’s had left she decided to make herself a soothing cup of tea.   
Sitting at the kitchen table as she waited for the kettle to boil, her father walked in and sat down opposite her. 

“I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses Alara, a good man like Chad will make an excellent husband for you and we can put that nonsense of you liking women behind us,” he reached out to take her hand in his.   
She jerked her hand off of the table, slamming both of her palms down as she stood up, knocking her chair to the floor as outrage coursed through her. 

“No, father, we can’t put it behind us, because it is still true! No matter how many times I agree to what Chad wants, that doesn’t mean I will ever or could ever love a man like him, let alone a man at all! He threatens the one’s I love and so I let him have his way to keep them safe but never doubt that while he can dictate my actions, he cannot control how I feel inside!” 

Alara ran out of the room, tea completely gone from her mind as she stormed up the stairs to her room, Grimm hopelessly trying to keep up with her but frequently falling back down the step he hand managed to get up.   
Tears streaming down her face she turned back around to grab the failing kitten, burying her face into his velvety fur as she carried on up the stairs.   
Finally making it to her room she threw herself down on the covers, letting Grimm go as the sobs wracked through her body. 

She let the despair fill her heart and her hope for any kind of happy future seemed to be disappearing before her eyes.   
Alara didn’t know how long she lay there, crying into her pillows but she started to be aware of small paws clambering over her back, little claws digging in slightly as Grimm walked all over her. 

Raising herself up onto her elbows slightly and wiping away her tears she giggled wetly as the kitten slipped down her back a bit before leaping off her onto the bed and coming round to sit on the pillow next to her face, meowing pitifully. She smiled at him and stroked his little ears, his head leaning into her palm. 

“We’re going to be ok Grimm, don’t worry. This is just a little setback but we can still be happy,” and she knew she was telling herself more than the kitten.

 

Pulling herself out of bed the next morning was a challenge to say the least but the idea that if she didn’t get herself up in time then her father would come in was enough motivation to get her up.   
Grimm stretched and meowed as she tugged on some presentable clothes and grabbed her latest book that Corwin had let her borrow. 

Picking up the little kitten in her other hand she made her way downstairs desperately hoping that her father would still be in his own room so that she could have breakfast in peace and to her luck, the kitchen was empty.   
Her happiness was short lived as she saw the note stuck to the kitchen table with her name on. 

‘Alara,  
Have gone away for a few days on business   
Don’t forget your dress appointment this afternoon  
Try not to ruin anything while I’m not there to fix it  
Your Father’

Groaning out loud at the reminder that she had to go out with Mrs Gast today Alara grumbled to herself as she made her breakfast and fed Grimm.   
She was still complaining quietly under her breath on her way to work and even when she opened the door into the bookshop, much to the amusement of Corwin. 

“What’s got you so riled up this morning Alara?” his probing tone snapped her out of her melancholy, and she looked up at his smiling face and sighed in defeat. 

“I’m marrying Chad,” she watched his happy brown eyes lose their light, “I’m going to have to leave after my lunch break because Mrs Gast is taking me dress shopping.”   
She turned away from him, gently putting her bag under the desk and reaching for the apron with her name on that was hung up on the side.   
She looked back around at Corwin to find him spluttering in shock at her news.   
Tying her apron around her neck she opened her mouth to explain further but Corwin beat her to it. 

“What on earth do you mean you’re marrying that brute, Alara, we were just talking yesterday about how much you hate him and can’t wait to get out of this town!” He stalked towards her and grabbed her by her shoulders,   
“Have you lost your mind? You don’t even like men!” he threw his hands up in exasperation and looked at her demandingly, expecting her to explain.

“If you had let me finish Corwin, I would’ve told you that yesterday, after dinner with his parents he basically threatened Grimm’s life and implied that if I didn’t marry him and do as I was told he would kill him!” Alara could feel the back of her eyes start to prick with the beginning of tears and she turned her face away from Corwin so he wouldn’t see her glistening eyes. 

“Anyway, I knew my father would get his way one day, my happiness means nothing to him and I can’t get away.” She really felt the tears start to begin again as his warm hand took hold of her arm and he pulled her into the biggest bear hug she could ever remember being part of.   
The sobs overtook her again as he held her close, his support and love reminding her of what her father had been like with her before she had come out to him. 

“Do you want me to tell Mrs Gast that I can’t spare you today so you don’t have to go shopping with the devil?”   
Alara smiled at Corwin wearily but shook her head, “If I don’t go today then I’m just going to have to go tomorrow, might as well get it out of the way while my father’s out of town and I don’t have him breathing down my neck.” 

She pulled away from him and picked up the stack of books waiting for her on the desk, “I’m going to start on these and then clean the shelves so that you won’t even realise I’m not here this afternoon.”   
And with that she disappeared between the shelves to hide from her new reality.

The afternoon came around much quicker than Alara thought it would and before she knew it Mrs Gast was pushing open their door and wrinkling her nose at the faint smell of old books that Alara loved so much. 

“Alara dear I do hope you’re ready to go, our appointment at the wedding boutique is in 15 minutes!” she shouted out into the shop even though it really was only a little place.   
Reluctantly Alara poked her head out of the storage room from where she was just finishing off her lunch and sighed to herself at the thought of her afternoon plans.

“I’ll be right there Mrs Gast, let me just hang up my apron and get my bag.” Much to her dislike she took off her apron and waved goodbye to Corwin, assuring him that she would be back the next morning. 

Walking down the street with Mrs Gast gushing in her ear about wedding details and about how lovely her son would look in a suit with Alara by his side in her white dress was making Alara feel genuinely queasy.   
She could see out of the corner of her eye, as she tried to look interested about what Mrs Gast was talking of, that people were turning to look at them and then facing whoever was next to them to no doubt start the rumours that would be flooding the village by the end of the day.   
They approached the dress shop and the sight of all the white dresses on display was enough to make Alara want to run in the opposite direction but bolting really wasn’t an option for her right now.   
She could practically hear the rest of the villagers already predicting when her wedding day would be. Stepping into the wedding boutique with Mrs Gast was basically inviting them all to Chad and her’s wedding and she could just picture the looks of surprise on their faces, a grimace painted on her own. 

For hours she had dress after dress pressed up against her body and shoes thrown at her to try on.   
After the 11th outfit change, she walked out of the changing room in the biggest white dress she had ever seen and with painful practice stilettos on her feet, a veil perched on her head just to complete the picture. 

She could not feel more uncomfortable and this was by far the biggest, not to mention the poofiest, dress she had tried on so far.   
And it was disgusting.   
However, Chad’s mother seemed to disagree with Alara’s private thoughts, if her reaction was anything to go by. Mrs Gast gasped and insisted to the assistant that “This is the one!” before clapping her hands in joy and snapping a picture of Alara, telling her that she “simply must show Chad he’ll be so happy!” 

Alara had spent her afternoon in a horrified daze, wondering if she would ever get a say in her own wedding and clearly, as the monstrosity that was her wedding dress was packed away for her to take away, that wasn’t going to be the case.   
Distantly she wondered what her own mother would’ve thought about the situation and even more distantly she thought of a day when she might have been picking her own wedding dress out but for a wedding where she would be marrying the woman of her dreams rather than the man of her nightmares. 

She hoped that in some alternative reality her other self was that happy since she was the complete opposite. 

“Now dear I know that this is a happy day but let’s try and not cry, it makes your face all red and blotchy and that just isn’t becoming. Just think about all the shopping we still have to do! Veils, shoes, flowers, honeymoon wardrobe!”   
Alara hadn’t even realised she shad started crying but she hastily wiped them away.   
Mrs Gast firmly linked her arm with Alara’s as they walked back to Alara’s house, the box that held her wedding dress clutched in the older woman’s hands possessively.  
The idea of spending more days shopping with Chad’s mother sounded so repulsive to Alara but she weakly nodded her head in agreement as they approached her front door. 

“Now you keep this in a safe place dear so that it’s perfect for the final day!” and with that parting comment Mrs Gast shoved the box into Alara’s hands, kissed her cheek and left her dumbfounded on her own doorstep.   
Shaking her head in disbelief, Alara fumbled with her key as she tried to not drop the white box, her hands trembling.   
Finally managing to get the door open she stumbled inside and immediately put the box on the table, crumbling to the floor of the kitchen. 

She could faintly hear Grimm come up to her, meowing loudly to remind her that he needed feeding but she could only pick him up and hold him in her lap.   
“What have I gotten myself into Grimm? What am I going to do?” she questioned him quietly, stroking a hand down his back and staring at the ceiling hopelessly.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The dreaded day was approaching faster than Alara could possibly imagine and she was slowly falling more and more into her despair.   
She had spent nearly everyday that week with Mrs Gast, doing something to do with wedding preparations.   
And when she wasn’t with Mrs Gast she was in the bookshop or at home, desperately trying to live her life normally even though she was living in her own personal nightmare. 

Every time she saw Corwin he would give her a sad, soft smile and hug her gently, as if he seemed to realise that after she got married Chad probably wouldn’t let her work there anymore. 

“Corwin I don’t know if I can do this...” Alara was sat on her usual stool behind the counter after a long day’s work.  
They seemed to get a lot more people in now but they all wanted to ask Alara about her upcoming nuptials.   
Corwin had even joked about setting up a rule that anyone who came in had to buy a book but Alara hadn’t laughed, she didn’t laugh at all anymore.

“Then don’t marry him, simple as that Cupcake.”  
Alara smiled at the nickname, apparently that’s what you get when you bring in homemade cupcakes a couple of times.   
Not that she was complaining, it was much better than her father’s ‘my dear’ or Chad’s ‘darling’.

“It really isn’t that simple and you know it! I told you what he said! What if he follows through with his threats?” Alara stood up from her chair and started pacing back and forth, her eyebrows furrowed with stress.

“Alara do you really think the man capable of murder?”

“I don’t even know what to think anymore!” Alara ran a hand through her brown curls, close to tears at this point.

“I’m buying wedding dresses and picking flower arrangements, the whole world has gone insane!” 

Corwin gathered the stressed woman up in a big hug, trying to help his smaller friend but knowing there was nothing he could do.  
“You’ll get through this, I know you will. You’re the strongest woman I know Alara, have faith in yourself!”

“I’ll try Corwin, I’ll try. Thank you.”

With the wedding fast approaching Alara didn’t know how she was going to survive without her closest friend, he was the only one who understood.   
Everyone else had come up to her, congratulated her then followed that up by complimenting her on getting over her ‘fixation’. 

The whole experience made Alara’s stomach churn with a sickness that never went away, her heart clenching painfully every time she saw her wedding dress hanging up in her wardrobe or whenever Chad came over to her to hold her hand or kiss her.   
It seemed she would never escape him again.

To make matters worse her father still hadn’t returned from his business trip and aside from the occasional text where he enquired after the wedding preparations, she didn’t actually know when he would be home, let alone if he would be home in time.   
The idea of having to walk down the aisle alone, even if her father would never love her the same way he used to, was downright terrifying. 

She had considered asking Corwin if he would do the honours if her father couldn’t make it but she doubted Mrs Gast would approve of that.   
Did her father really despise her so much that he would purposely miss his own daughters wedding? 

When she was marrying the man he had wanted to marry from the beginning as well...something wasn’t really adding up for Alara but there wasn’t anything she could do, all her time was being taken up with this blasted wedding.   
Her only comforts were the hours she spent in the bookshop and her nights when Mrs Gast had finally left her alone and she was free to sit with Grimm and play with him, read the books she wanted to and spend time outside, enjoying her field while she still could.

The day of the wedding arrived and with her father still not home and with no text from him letting her know when he would be home, Alara made her own breakfast before Mrs Gast could break down her door. 

Predictably, Alara had barely finished her last mouthful of cereal when a loud banging started coming from her front door.   
Sighing to herself and shooing Grimm into the sitting room where Mrs Gast wouldn’t try and step on him again, she made her way to the door.   
Opening it slowly, trying to prevent the inevitable, she was nearly knocked to the floor by her future mother-in-law. 

“We’ve got to get started right away dear! There is no time to waste! The ceremony is in 5 hours!” Mrs Gast was like a whirlwind, grabbing things from around the house and sitting Alara down at the kitchen table, gesturing to Chad’s sisters, Laurel and Paulette, to get started on her makeup and hair. 

“Now girls, we want something elegant but not to showy ok, none of that bright red lipstick you two like so much” she frowned at her twin daughters, gripping Alara’s chin rather roughly as she waved her hand in front of Alara’s face, indicating what she would like them to do.   
Alara felt almost naked under Mrs Gast’s scrutiny, self conscious of her sleepy eyes and slightly swollen face from the tears that had soaked her pillow the previous night.   
For a moment Alara thought she saw a glimmer of regret flash across Mrs Gast’s face but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with disapprovement. 

“Now dear, we can’t have anymore of this sadness,” Mrs Gast placed her hands on Alara’s face, in an almost caring way, stroking her fingers down her cheeks, “you’re marrying my son today, the most eligible man in the village and that is no cause for tears.” 

Her hands seemed to tighten slightly and Alara could feel Mrs Gast’s nails dig into her slightly before she released her, smiling brightly, fakely, “I’m going to go and get the dress!”  
And with that the older woman swept out of the room, making her way upstairs to get Alara’s dreaded wedding dress.

Laurel and Paulette seemed to descend on her in a chaos of brushes and powders and chatter that seemed to go completely over Alara’s head.   
At some point they put some music on and blared it loudly around her small kitchen and if Alara was, in any way, enjoying this then she might have found dancing around the kitchen with them fun, talking about boys and make up. 

But instead she was focusing on remembering how to breathe as a metal casing seemed to be slowly constricting around her lungs.  
The panic over her current situation was coursing through her veins and all the hopefully thoughts she had had over the last weeks of this all being a bad dream seemed to be rapidly slipping through her fingers.

Some part of her had thought there was a way out of this, that the day would come and it wouldn’t really happen but as she felt the sisters brush eyeshadow onto her eyes and swipe lipstick onto her lips she knew that her fate was sealed.   
Out of the corner of her eye she could see the kitchen clock slowly tick towards 12 o’clock, the time they were due at the local chapel.   
Every time that old minutes hand got closer and closer to her doom she could feel more hopelessness taking over her heart. 

By the time she was being placed in some painful heels and her wedding dress was being pulled over her head Alara had fallen into some kind of trance, unable to see anyway out of her current situation and realising that this was her life now.   
Mrs Gast was just slipping a bright blue ribbon into her hair, lacing it through the braids on top of her head the first time she saw herself in the mirror. 

In some way Alara supposed that she didn’t look so bad but the hopeless romantic in her knew that if she was marrying someone that she loved she would be glowing. 

“You look lovely dear, just like a princess” Mrs Gast nodded at her handiwork. 

“Thank you Mrs Gast” Alara replied quietly, unable to look at her reflection anymore. 

“Now don’t be silly dear, you’re about to marry my son, you can call me mother!” She walked out of the front door, not looking back to see the damage her words had inadvertently done. 

Alara hunched over, clutching at her stomach in an attempt to contain her scream.   
She would only have only one mother and she would hate to see her beloved daughter trapped in this impossible situation.   
Determined not to let any of the Gast’s see her as weak she straightened up, and faced the front door, although she was barely breathing, her lungs made of stone.

Laurel and Paulette escorted her to the black car waiting outside her house, both dressed in short red bridesmaid dresses and gushing about the groomsmen they would be walking down the aisle with.   
Alara tried to tune them out as she adjusted the veil that hung in front of her face. 

The chapel was coming into view, the doors wide open and Alara could already see the people sitting inside, waiting for her.   
The car came to a stop and Alara’s heart seemed to stop with it.   
She reached for the bouquet that lay on the seat in front of her, grasping it just slightly too tight but she couldn’t stop herself. 

She thought about Grimm and Corwin and her father, the people in her life that she loved.   
And the people she knew Chad would not hesitate to hurt if she did not comply. Slowly opening the door of the car she stepped out, holding onto the door for support as her legs almost gave out from underneath her. 

Chad’s father came up to her and took her arm, patting her hand condescendingly. 

“It’s going to be ok, it’s alright to be nervous but I’m going to walk you down the aisle and then you’re going to marry Chad.” He smiled at her but all she saw was the menacing grin of a man who had helped orchestrate her nightmares.


End file.
